ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST: Becoming Bias-Resistant: Trauma-Informed Tools to Prevent Inadvertent Discrimination

ACR-GNY & CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College present

Becoming Bias-Resistant: Trauma-Informed Tools to Prevent Inadvertent Discrimination

Every day, people are accidentally discriminating without even realizing it. There is no amount of self-awareness that can erase our biases, but there are tools that can help prevent them from impacting our work. Dan Berstein came to the dispute resolution field specifically as part of his lifelong quest to counteract mental illness stigmas, and this journey has led him to lead initiatives to address all kinds of inadvertent misconduct and unintentional discrimination. Join us to receive tools that can help anyone become bias-resistant, including resources Dan has produced with the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center as part of a project funded by the AAA-ICDR Foundation, to promote trauma-informed and bias-resistant practices in courts across the county.

Dan Berstein

Dan Berstein combines his professional expertise as a mediator, his academic background in mental health and public health, and his personal experience living with bipolar disorder to develop innovative online programs that use conflict resolution best practices to prevent discrimination. Through his company, MH Mediate, Dan has trained thousands of people to talk about mental health, address challenging behaviors, and resolve conflicts. Clients have included individuals, organizations, and government agencies at the city, state, and federal levels.

Dan is the co-founder of the Dispute Resolution in Mental Health Initiative at the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center. He holds a master’s degree in Mental Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, a bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University Pennsylvania, and a mediation certification from the New York Peace Institute where he formerly sat on the Mediator Advisory Board. His book, Mental Health and Conflicts: A Handbook for Empowerment, was published by the American Bar Association in 2022. Through the Mental Health Safe Project, Dan advocates to help organizations notice, prevent, and address instances of inadvertent discrimination. You can learn more about Dan by watching his TEDxTalk at https://youtu.be/nstRHTVv0Aw